Members wax4213 Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 Ah, makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 ^^^I agree. I don't have tuning issues or anything, but it's not a very comfortable spot if you actually want to use the Bigsby. Look at where it is on my Faded. That's where I found it really comfy. If you mount it permanently, hold the guitar as if you were playing it, and kind of "dry fit" the Bigsby, to see where it's most comfortable for you, then you will be as happy as possible with it. Can you talk about how you actually mounted the Bigsby? The instructions that came with mine were pathetic -- just some 12th generation copies of some old instructions from the 1950's. I've seen YouTube videos for other Bigsbys (not the B5) where there was some red string that was used to help with alignment (positioned where the high and low E strings would be). But I didn't get anything like this with mine (it was bought 2nd hand on eBay). My plan is to use the Vibramate to help keep the roller bar parallel with the nut. I'll use some masking tape along the left-hand side of the Vibramate, and this should help me keep the Bigsby properly aligned when I scoot it back. Since the Vibramate is already correctly aligned, I can use the edge of it to orient the Bigsby. I plan to get some help from my kids to find the ideal location for the vibrato bar. I like to play in the "engine room" with the heel of my hand resting on the bridge. I want the tip of the Bigsby arm to just fit into my curled pinky. Once it's positioned, I'm not sure how to mark the drill holes. I'd like to use a Sharpie, but I want to make sure I don't get any stray marks on the Bigsby itself. Then I'll probably use an awl to punch an indent, followed by a pilot hole and then the final hole with a power drill. How did you attach yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sxyryan Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 I'll start with the most important tip. Don't look at the strap button to find the center of the body. It might be right, it might not be. Get a ruler, and some string. 1. Decide how far back the Bigsby will be. This can be eyeballed, done by feel. I don't have my Faded with me, or I'd measure and tell you where it's comfortable for me. Mark this with some tape or a light touch with a soft pencil (or some other way I suppose). 2. Find the center of the guitar body. Mark this somehow (maybe put down some masking tape and draw lightly on that) then find the center of the Bigsby unit itself. 3. line up the Bigsby with the marks you already made. Tie a piece of string to the high e post on the Bigsby and run it up, over the bridge, over the nut, around the high e tuner. Then with the same string (if its long enough, if not, tie it off and grab another) and do the same with the low e. Lay the guitar on a flat surface and look at the alignment. The spacing of the Bigsby posts is slightly wider than your bridge, so it should have a slight fanning look to it, with the e strings a bit wider on the Bigsby than on the bridge itself. Look at the neck. Is there an equal amount of space on each string to the edge of the fretboard? I used a sharpie to mark mine. You could also use a pencil on masking tape or something more reversible if you like. 4. Once you decide the location, put the guitar away for a couple of hours, preferable overnight. Go back to the guitar after that time and check again. Is it still to your liking? Remember that after this step, it's pretty much the point of no return. 5. If it is, tap a starting hole with a sharp object, and drill starter holes. After drilling, remove the tape and mount it all up, and rock out. As my shop teacher always said, measure twice, cut/drill once. I found out last year that he cut his finger off in a building project, but I think his advice still sounds good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WilmerTheWhite Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 What? Still no original side-to-side trem? OK; here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hoddy Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members humbuckerstrat Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ferdinandstrat Posted March 29, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 Who dat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 Great installation tips, sxyryan! Thanks, man. Two quick follow up questions. 1) Did you keep the felt pads on the bottom of the Bigsby, or are they there just so you can test fit it prior to installation and not scuff up the body? Seems to me like you'd want a solid Bigsby-to-Mahogany-Body contact without the felt pads. 2) What did you do (if anything to re-ground) your guitar? I think the stoptail is where SG's are grounded. If so, you'd either need to ground the bridge or ground the Bigsby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sxyryan Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 I left the pads on. But about a month ago I pulled the Bigsby off my faded to give it a good cleaning, and the pads marred up the finish a little. I moved the ground to the bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 Who dat? John Cippolina, with Quicksilver Messenger Service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ferdinandstrat Posted March 29, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 John Cippolina, with Quicksilver Messenger Service. That must be an old photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members -.^Silver^ Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 that's fucking hot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members erickliban Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 my cheap SG ripoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ferdinandstrat Posted March 29, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 I believe this was done by a forum member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PunkKitty Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 This thread is really making me want to add a Bigsby to my SG or Melody Maker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ferdinandstrat Posted March 30, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 30, 2010 You should. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members humbuckerstrat Posted March 30, 2010 Members Share Posted March 30, 2010 John Cippolina, with Quicksilver Messenger Service. Right:wave: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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